Hinamori and Souma crossing
by XBlackLynx
Summary: When Amu and her brother Kukai is in another world, what will happen?
1. Prologue

**Prologue~**

**At the palace~**

"She's here your majesty."

Queen Hinamori, the kind ruler of the kingdom of Rochlan for centuries, banged her scepter down on the marble ground, displaying a rare flash of anger. She looked over at her husband, King Souma, who looked equally as stormy.

"where is she?"

The messenger bowed low. "the sources say she is at the edge of the kingdom."

She was closer than they thought

Queen Hinamori signed, and signaled for the messenger to be dismissed. The messenger bowed low once more, her nose almost touching the polished ground, and scurried out of the room. As soon as queen Hinamori was sure she was out of the room, she leaned over and buried her face in her hands, being uncharacteristially less than regal.

"don't worry my dear," said king Souma comfortingly. "it must be a ruse."

"No,"queen Hinamori answered, shaking her head. "she's here. you know Sanjo likes to make entrance. The question now is, when will she arrive? We must sound out alerts and evacuate our people, possibly send them to the planet next door."

She was panicking. The queen never panicked. The creases on king Souma's forehead deepened.

_**Sanjo's palace**_

Sanjo was tired of all the light that had streamed into their world For so long. It was time for darkness to reign. And for that to happen, she had to have complete power. It was all the better that she had no king-that meant no one to share the reign with. It would be all hers.

She was a combination of beauty and terror.

That was how she liked it-lured in, entice by the beauty-and then trapped in by sheer terror. She smiled to herself, pleased.

Admiring herself once more in the mirror, sheput her hands together. It was time to execute her plan.

_**Back at the palace~**_

"you sure the children will be alright?" queen Hinamori wasn't sure if she had made the right decision by sending them away. She glanced at the empty cribs, side by side. it hadn't even been a day, and she missed them terribly.

"my dear," king Souma said gently, stroking her wrist. "anywhere is safer than here."

"yes, I suppose you're right," she signed, tearing her gaze away from the crib.

"sleep now," he assured his wife. "we'll deal with everything tomorrow."

In the darkness queen Hinamori asked once more, "do you think I did the right thing?"

"you are doing the best for our children. You'll see them again someday."

Slightly reassured, she shut her eyes and fell asleep

**_Two hours later~_**

Sanjo laughed quietly from the doorway.

"your children may be safe, but you most definitely are not."

It was dark, just the way she liked it, she stroked her poison dagger and held it to her lips, smirking.

"my Queen, my king," she sang, poising the knife over the sleeping pair. "I was never one to be royal."

The queen awoke with a gasp.

"Sanj-"

But it was too late. In one motion, she plunged the dagger into the queen's throat. Once satisfied that she was dead, she moved to the king and slaughtered him as well.

Sanjo smiled at her handiwork and stroked the dead king's face.

"you were a handsome one. Shame, it really is."

She glanced over at the flitting crown resting in the red velvet pillow. Her eyes glowing within the dark shadows of her face, she reached over and placed it on her own head.

As she smiled in the darkness, she thought she heard a faint cry. Ignoring the sound, she enjoyed the weight of the heavy crown on her head.

She was no longer Sanjo.

She was now queen Sanjo.


	2. Chapter 1 the beginning

It was customary for Hinamori Amu to sit in class with one handcropped on her chin, her eyes focused at a point outside the window. Her teachers had long learned that it was useless to scold her, as she failed to focus in class either way. As long her test scores and homework grades remained stellar, her teachers had no complaints.

However, today, everyone else in the class had adopte a similar pose as Amu, watching the soccer players practice outside. Soccer was undoubtedly a big deal at Seiyo academy, seeing all the other sports failed to draw in any victories. Thus, all the soccer players were worshipped like gods. If anyone ruled the school, it was unquestionably the soccer players, and whichever girls were lucky enough to be their arm accessories.

Kukai Souma, Amu's brother, happened to the the quarterback of the team, and the one in particular all the girls fawned over. However, while Amu was indeed looking out the window, she wasn't looking at the athletic boys sweating up and down the field, as the other girls in her class were doing. In fact, she was not particularly staring at a certain point. Looking outside allowed her mind wander, as her eyes glazed over and she began to think.

While evey member of her class belonged to a certain clique, Amu did not. She had always failed to identify with a certain character, and instead clung to her best friend, Rima. In terms of academic, she excelled, yet she had no particular passion. She spent most of her free time listening to music and drawing aimlessly in her sketchbook. The walls of her room were littered with random doodles she had begun and forgotten to finish. Often, she would visit the local animal shelters and play with the stray dogs or help feed the newborn puppies, but she participated in no other extracurricular activities, giving her college counselors heart attacts every time they scanned her resume.

Her brother had always extended an invitation out to her to eat lunch with the soccer jocks and the cheerleaders at lunchtime, but watching the boys scarf down their food like animals and initiate belching contests was too much for her.

Amu signed and twirled a lock of her bubble gum link hair around and around her finger, drawing signs from the boys around her. She paid no attention to them, and continued staring out the window absent mindedly. Her face was abnormally lovely, with a porcelain complexion, a dainty nose, and deep dimples dotting either cheek. Many people claimed that it hurt to look at her, as there was something abnormal about the beauty of her features. Perhaps it was the honey colored eyes that conveyed the sense of longing, not at all unlike a tragic ending to a beautiful story. Amu didn't know it, as she tendered not to pay much attention to her surroundings, but the elusiveness made her all the more appealing to others.

Kukai Souma saw his sister staring out the window, seemingly watching him on the football field. He wiped the swear off his brow with his arm, and waved to her. She didn't wave back and kept staring, her eyes wide and unblinking. Kukai waved once more and ten girls waved back eagerly, none of which were his sister. He shook his head, chuckling, and reminded himself how his sister could be at times. She was often quiet and aloof, but at home, she was open and warm.

As he bent down to tie his shoe, Kukai glanced over at his teammate, Nagihiko Fujisaki. Sure enough, he wasn't paying any attention to practice, and was looking up at Amu.

Many boys pursued Amu, but Nagi was different fron the rest. Aside from Kukai, who being the quarterback was perhaps the most sought after, Nagi was extraordinarily popular. He was notorious for his sleek charm and swift mouth.

Amu, however, had shown no interest whatsoever to him, and that bothered him. In reality, Amu didn't show any interest in any boy in particular, preferring to keep mostly to herself, but Nagi took her aloofness personally. And although there was a long line of girls waiting to date him, Nagi refused to accept that there was one girl who had not submitted to his charm. Amu's unintentional "rejection" prove to be the main driving force behind Nagi's never ending chase for her.


	3. Chapter 2 Making Plans

The bell rang, signaling the end of school day, and the beginning of yet another glorious, sunny weekend. Kukai quickly peeled off his sweaty uniform, crumpled it in a ball, and threw it in the corner of his locker. He ran up from the locker room, taking the stairs two at a time, to meet his sister and his girlfriend, Yaya. While he knew Amu would be willing to wait a few minutes if he were late, Yaya would not be quite as understanding.

Amu was just opening her locker as Kukai approached. Seeing as Yaya was nowhere to be seen, he slowed down and relaxed. Breathing heavily, he leaned against an open locker door to catch his breath and steady himself.

From the opposite end of the hallway, Nagi was near as well. Kukai had managed to catch his breath, but he lingered for a few extra minuets, andwaited for Nagi to pass him. He had always wanted Amu to go out on at least one date with Nagi. He could see no better opportunity for him to ask now. He was Kukai's bestfriend, and while Kukai preferred that his sister never dated anyone, he figured that his best friend would be better than any other boy at school. Moreover, Nagi was outgoing and sociable, and could perhaps bring Amu out of her sheltered environment.

Nagi had reached Amu, and leaned against the side of her locker casually, in his typical coy fashion. Kukai carefully edged forward, without being too close as to be accused of eavesdropping, and began listening carefully.

"So, Amu, are you going surfing with the rest of us tomorrow?" Nagi asked offhandedly, flashing Amu a crooked grin.

Amu looked up from her bag, startled, her hair falling in her face. She seemed surprised to see Nagi at her locker. "Oh...hi, Nagi. Yes, I think I will, since my brother's organizing the event."

Nagi grinned. "great!"

An awkward silence ensued, and Kukai silently willed for Amu to say something and intimate a conversation. However, Nagi continued smoothly. He could make conversation with anyone.

"So, are you going with anyone in particular tomorrow?"

Amu furrowed her brow. "didn't I just say I was going with my brother?"

Kukai silently cursed as he realized that Amu was in no way being sarcastic, but had genuinely failed to recognize Nagi's implications.

Luckily, Nagi plowed on, and said good naturedly, "What I meant was, do you want to go with me? I mean, you would be kind of left out if you went with your brother, seeing as he'll be hanging around Utau most of the time..." he trailed off, looking at her in what looked like a relaxed manner, but with a hint of unsuppressed hope wafting at the surface.

"Nagi..." Amu signed. She really wasn't good at interacting with people, especially when having to reject them.

But before she could finish, Nagi interrupted her, as if he knew what she was going to say.

"Look, how can you know that you won't like me if you've never been out with me? Just give me a chance, that's all I'm asking. Come on, please?"

Kukai wordlessly applauded Nagi for his mastery at persuasion. Not only did Amu fai to come up with a calid reason why she shouldn't go out with him, but Nagi was also literally pleading her and he knew Amu would feel guilty if she crushed him.

Amu looked down at the floor, obviously thinking, before she let out a loud sign.

"Alright, one date. Then you have to promise that you'll never ask me again."

Nagi's smile widened. The suddenly haughty expression that spread across his face obviously signified that he knew that it he could woo Amu over in one day, then she would be the one begging to go out with him soon.

"Deal," he said, shooting her a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow at the beach."

As soon as he was out of earshot, Amu let out an audible groan and slammed her locker shut.

Realizing that is was safe to come out, Kukai casually straightened up and sauntered over to his sister, the wide smile on his face barely contain.

"Hey, Amu," he began in an offhand manner. "So what's this I heard about Nagi asking you out? And I hear that you said yes?" he clasped his hands over his heart exaggeratedly, staggering backwards. "Say it isn't so!"

Amu shoved him slightly, and shot him an irritated look. "you know I only said yes to stop him from bothering me in the future. And to be honest, can you really call it a date? Unless the girl's brother is suppose to come on the date with her, along with a bunch of his surfer friends."

"He's a really decent guy, Amu," Kukai reasoned with her. "He's not like most guys around here. I think you'll really like him."

"you're righ, he's different. No other guy has constantly bugged me like he has," Amu said sarcastically."He doesn't seem to understand the words no and I'm not interested." her tone was bitter.

"Amu!"


	4. Chapter 3 True Feelings

***A/N**

**I changed Kukai's girlfriend to Yaya in case you were confused. ^^**

**Chapter 3~**

But Amu held her hand up, stopping him. "he doesn't seem right for me. He would never volunteer at an animal shelter- or read, for fun..."

"Alright, alright, I get your point. But just because he isn't a crazy animal fanatic doesn't mean that he's not a nice guy. I think you could really grow to like him," he finished hopefully.

Amu rolled her eyes scathingly, and peered down the hallway instead of responding to him. She smiled as she saw Kukai's girlfriend, Yaya, slowly walking toward them. With the presence of Yaya, she knew that the conversation regarding Nagi would be brought to an end.

"Kukai~!" she could be heard from all the way down the hallway. "Hey!" she squealed, skidding to a stop in front of them, her arms popped up at her hips, cheerleading style. "Ready? Okay! Hey Amu!" she waved enthusiastically without pausing in between words. As a cheerleader, she had a talent of making everything she said genuinely wholehearted.

Amu wave back tentatively. She always felt like feeble when she was around Yaya.

Yaya beamed back. "did you have a nice day?"

"yeah it was okay."

This was one of the reasons Amu could stand Yaya. Dispite Amu's unresponsiveness, she was secretly appreciative that Yaya went out of her way to be nice to her, unlike most people who usually just avoided her either due to fear or admiration. Furthermore, Yaya wasnt being nice to Amu because she wanted to stay on good terms with Kukai-she legitimately like being nice to people.

Kukai turned around slowly, only to find Yaya leaping towards him. her pom poms rustled by her side, as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. Kukai thought she was adorable, but it was sometimes aggraving, the way she was always moving. But unfortunately, they were the perfect cliché, the soccer star and the head cheerleader- and everyone loved it. And who was he to disrupt the perfect suicidal hierarchy at Seiyo Academy? After all, he was the very epitome of the cliché.

He signed inaudibly. He wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with Yaya's eagerness right now. He had a long, exhausting day, with bruises all over his body, and was ready to go home and unwind. In a flat voice, he said,"Hey Yaya."

She beamed up at him and let out a high pitched giggle. He resisted the urge to clap his hands ove this ears.

"So, Kukai, are you reading to go surfing on Saturday?"

Before he could respond, she let out another ear piercing giggle.

"I can't believe how lucky we are! One of the sunniest and hottest days ever and it's a weekend. This is do rare, especially here, you know, because it rains a lot." she smiled dazzlingly at him. Kukai could not muster the energy to smile, so he twitched the corners of his lips up a millimeter instead. Detecting the small movement, Yaya took this as a sign of encouragement.

"Great!"she shouted, waving her Pom poms in his face, causing him to close his eyes before his corneas were attacked, "G-R-E-A-T, GREAT!"

It was a good thing that Kukai was relatively eventempered,or he knew he could have exploded if he was even slight hot headed. The three of them walked out to the school's parking lot, eith the sun besting down o nthem, and towards Kukai's parked car.

He unlocked the doors and the three of them got in routinely-Kukai in the driver's seat, Yaya riding shotgun, and Amu in the back. It had been like that ever since high school, and Kukai signed as he realized That it would probably never change- he had to face it: Yaya was probably going to be around for a while.

As soon as they dropped Yaya off and had backed out of her evergreen tree-lined driveway, Kukai felt more relaxed and loosened his grip on the steering wheel. amu leaned forwards so he could hear her.

"Only one more day of school until we can go surfing!"

she waved her arms in the air as if she were holding Pom poms and smiled teasingly at him.

Kukai groaned and replied," Thankfully that's over." he felt a wave of relaxation wash over him, and felt his body finally begin to unwind.

Amu widened her eyes in disbelief, reaching out and hitting him on the arm.

"She's your girlfriend!"

Kukai signed, the knots in his shoulders slowly loosened. "I know, but sometimes I wonder why I dated her. She just...talks so...much!"

"Well, I think she's nice," said Amu indignantly, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms.

Now it was Kukai's turn to look st her disbelievingly through the mirror.

"What? I know I complain sometimes, but she is really very nice," Amu insisted.

"Much nicer than Jenny, she muttered, but loud enough so he could her.

Kukai ignored the dig on the ex-girlfriend who had dumped him.

They sat in silence ad the car winded up the steep mountains side towards their home.

Amu stared out the window at the familiar green scenery that streaked by and felt happier and happier as they got nearer to their house.

Soon, they were approaching the long driveway of their house.

Before the car stopped, Amu had already undone her seatbelt and was prepared to shoot out the vehicle.

"Finally," she breathed. "Home."


	5. Chapter 4 Business trips

**Chapter 4~**

Kukai carefully locked his car and closed the door that Amu had carelessly left open. Having purchased car with his own money, he particularly treasured it and faithfully cleaned it every weekend. The minute he opened the front door, he was greeted by a streak of reddish brown fur pouncing on his chest, nearly knocking him over.

"Amu," he yelled, charefully skirting around the jumping, energetic dog. "Your dog is attacking me!" Unlike his sister, he had never particularly liked animals, and the family dog had always been a bit too eager for him.

Amu came down the stairs, and instantly bent down to coo at the dog. "Our dog has a name, Kukai. It would be nice if you could refer to her by it." she kissed the dog's nose. "And how are you today, Tiffy?"

"Hi sweetie." Marie, their mother, swept down the staircase and swiftly planted a kiss on each of their cheeks. Her cheeks were flushed, and she carried a large suitcase behind her. It clunker awkwardly on the stairs.

Although Amu and Kukai looked somewhat alike, their mother looked nothing like them. Her blonde hair, in contrast to their bubblegum pink and brown hair, was twisted up in an elegant chignon and fastened with a pearl hair clip. She adjusted her matching pearl earrings, and straightened her skirt. Looking at their mother, it was hard to see where Amu and Kukai's looks had come from, considering their father was short, balding and portly.

Handing Amu the newspaper that had been sitting on the table, Marie said," Here you go, today's news."

"Anything good?" Amu asked absent mindedly while taking the newspaper from her mother.

"Nope." her mum shook her had, rather stiffly, as to not mess up her sleek bun. Same as always, there is a funny article though. You'll know what I'm talking about when you read it."

Amu didn't respond, and Marie exhaled heavily.

"Well, I've got to catch my plane now."

Amu pouted. "Do you have to go?"

Marie smiled wearily and patted her daughter's hair. She looked at Kukai which is looking at them awkwardly. " I'll be back by Monday. You kids better behave yourselves." her smile broadened as she said this, as if it was some sort of joke.

"You know we always do mum," Kukai said, crackling a grin.

They were both used to their mother's frequent business trips, but despite parental absence, Kukai and Amu had never done anything terribly inappropriate at home; with the exception of a few parties that Kukai had thrown. However, he had always manage to clean up in time, eliminating any prospects of suspicion. Furthermore, he always made sure that no one ended up drunk or passed out. He was an advocate of fun, as long as it was fun that didn't get him in trouble.

Amu picked up Tiffy and proceeded up the grand, corkscrew staircase that punctured the centre of the entrance hall. She remembered when she was little, she had always felt like a princess when she descended, making a grand entrance. Even now, she felt a small, familiar thrill run through her as she ascended the many stairs.

Once she got to her room, she set Tiffy down, who immediately proceeded to run wild around the room. She peered out the window just as her mother's car pulling out of the driveway. She waved, despite the fact that there was no way her mother had seen her. Yet, she always waved every time her mother left. If something happened, the least she knew was that she said goodbye to her.

Signing, she unhooked her golden necklace that dotted her pale neck. It was nothing special or ornate, simply a key, yet Amu always wore it, except when her mother was away. Recently she found that she had been wearing the necklace less and less. She had unclapsed the necklace so many times that the gold of the clasp was scratched and worn out. She set the necklace down beside a photograph of her mother, as if to protect her while she travelled. It was ridiculous, yet it was a habit that she had been unable to break ever since she started when her mother had gone away on her first business trip.

Amu collapsed on her bed, stomach down and rolled open the newspaper. However, before she could even read the first heading, Kukai knocked on the door loudly.

"Yeah?" she called, not even bothed to stand up.

He popped his head into the room. "Don't forget to pack for tomorrow; we're going to leave early so we can claim a spot on the beach."

"How could I forget?" she answered with a mocking enthusiasm, rolling her eyes.

Kukai smirked, detecting her sarcasm, and shut the door.

Amu glanced down at the news articles, but they echoed the ones earlier this week: "cat called for jury duty." Amu giggled to herself. Her mother always knew what would amuse her.

She flipped the newspaper over onto the backside and read a short article on underage drinking. Then she read the headlines and a short comic strip that accompanied the weekday newspaper. It was her daily routine- it was mundane, but it gavether life order.


	6. Chapter 5 Preparing

**Angie: I'm so sorry for the late chapters, exams were coming up, enjoy!**

**Chapter 5~**

Amu signed and pushed herself off the bed as soon as she noticed her room darkening. Even though it was a Friday night, and the beginning of a weekend, she had the spirit of a Sunday night; anticipating a though Monday morning. It was time to pack for the dreaded trip to the beach.

She walked slugging over to her dressing room, yanked open the closet door and pulled out her beach bag. The bag was crumpled from being squash by her folded sweaters. she rarely used it. She loved the beach, but she loved to go alone. She wasn't antisocial nor spiteful but she had always viewed the beach as a place for peaceful thinking, amplified by the sound of the pleasant rolling waves-not for volleyball games and beer-filled teenage parties that simply left trash over the pristine white sand. Of course, the latter was exactly what the next day was going to be- and exactly why she was dreading it.

as she zipped up her beach bag, she fell upon a pair of scuffed riding boots, brightening slightly, she quickly grabbed them by the lace and decided that it was the perfect moment to go riding for a while.

meanwhile, inside the house, Kukai was on the computer. He often went on the computer with no purpose at all and simply spend hours surfing random websites, chatting with friends who happened to be online and reading sports statistics.

Yaya was online and began messaging him the moment he signed on. He quickly closed the window, appeared offline, and leaned back on his chair, pushing his hair back with his hands. He knew for sure that his relationship with Yaya was going anywhere, nor did he want to. if seeing her every day caused his heart to clench with irritation, there was no way she was the right fairly for him.

Deep down, he knew perfectly well who he was meant to be with, and where she was. The one girl he had always wanted to ask out, but was too uncharacteristically shy to do so, was Hoshina Utau. His mouth twitched up about a millimeter as he thought about her.

he hadn't confided in anyone, but he had planned the beach party particularly to meet her and possibly approach her a without the intimidating factor of being alone. Although he felt a twinge of guilt when he though about Yaya and her innocent bubbly manner. He was sure she could find someone else to date if he was to leave her. After all it would be better to break up with her for good rather than to continue stating her while having feelings for another girl.

Kukai signed and turned off the computer monitor. Yaya was continuously sending him messages that he was ignoring. He simply was not in the mood for her right now. he already knew for sure who he liked, and unfortunately, that girl was not his girlfriend. It was awful to think about, but it was true. He knew Yaya was no way mean or malicious like some of his precious scheming girlfriends. As simple and cliché as it was, she just was not his type.

trying to get his mind off Yaya, he pushed his room window open to let a fresh breeze waft in. Below in the field, he saw Amu riding.

"Don't forget about tomorrow!" He yelled out to her.

Amu lifted one hand, signaling that she heard him. Kukai grinned. Even though he couldn't see it, she was sure that she was rolling her eyes.

As Kukai watcher her pick up speed, he signed and hoped that she would fall- not off the ride, but for Nagi. His sister's life couldn't revolve entirely around rides and dogs. She had to leave her shell one day- and hopefully that day would be tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 6 Morning

**Chapter 6**

"Rise and Shine~"

Amu groaned and rolled over, pulling her pillow over her head to block out her brother's voice.

Kukai pulled open the curtains, allowing the light to stream in the dark room.

"What time is it?" Amu asked in a muffled voice, finally sitting up. She blinked several times to adjust while shielding her face from the dazzling sun. She wanted nothing more than to pull down the curtains and spend the rest of the day sleeping, and maybe riding later in the day.

"It's time to get up," Kukai informed jokingly.

"Go away. I'm tired and lazy and I don't want to go to the beach to hang out with your STUPID friends." Amu flopped back dorm and resumed their position of her face hidden under the pillow to block out the blinding light.

"C'mon Amu," Kukai coaxed, trying unsuccessfully to snatch the pillow away from her. "Why are you so bitter? Remember, the glass is always half full."

"It's also always half empty," she retorted from underneath her pillow.

"I'll see you down stairs in ten minutes," Kukai laughed as he threw a pillow lying on the floor at her, and bounded out of Amu's room.

**Later~**

It took Amu twenty minutes for her to manage to pull herself put of bed, get dressed and grab her beach bag. By the minute she had dragged herself down the stairs, Kukai had finished his breakfast and was waiting for her.

Kukai gawked at her.

"What are you wearing?"

Annoyed, Amu grabbed a banana off the counter. She was already irritated from having to wake up so early to go somewhere that she wasn't even going by choice, and was in no mood to argue with her brother. Grumpily, she responded,

"Clothes."

"but we're going to the beach!"

Amu was wearing a thin cardigan, flats and jeans-attire appropriate for anywhere but the beach.

"Keep your hair on, I'm wearing my bathing suit underneath," she groaned back to him. She glared at him appraisingly, taking in his board shorts and the towel draped over his otherwise half naked body.

"Some of us don't feel comfortable prancing around in a swimsuit unless we're actually on the beach."

"Whatever," he said in an equally as irritated tone. "Let's go. we're already late, thanks to you."

Amu stuck her tongue out at him, then exclaimed, " oh, I almost forgot!"

She hurried into the hall closet and came out holding Tiffy's leash.

Kukai screwed his face in disgust as he imagined Tiffy sitting between his sister and Nagi on their very first date at the beach. It was his sister's only chance; he wasn't going to let her dumb dog ruin it.

"what are you doing bringing a dog to the beach?"

Amu scowled at him, offended by his disgusted tone.

"She's not just a dog. What's wring with bringing any dog to a beach? Besides, Tiffy is well trained, if that's what you're worried about. Much better trained than some of your friends," she added under her breath, smiling to herself.

"So now you're planning on spending the day with you dog instead of your friends," he huffed.

"My friends?" Amu raised her eyebrows. "Don't you mean your friends?"

"it's kind of hard to swim or surf with a dog in your arms."

Amu said nothing and merely slipped the collar around Tiffy's neck.

"Wait, you are planning on swimming right?"

Amu pursed her lips and straitened, brushing the stray fur off her hands. "Not really. I don't like water much and I would rather just stay dry."

"This is the warmest day in months, Amu! You have to seize the opportunity!"

Kukai shook his head, not understanding how anyone could let such a day go to waste. "I swear, if you don't go in the water..." He was going to say kill your dog, but he figured that would be highly insensitive.

instead, he opened the door to prove his point, bright light flowed in, bathing them in a comfortable warm glow. The morning sky was beautiful clear blue and the sun shone though the fluffy white clouds. The day seems to be crafted specially for beach-goers.

Yet Amu walked straight towards Kukai's car and instantly seated herself in the back seat, patting Tiffy who had pounced on the seat next to her. Kukai cringed as he watched Tiffy bounce about, thinking of the scratch marks that it was going to leave from what he imagined to be razor sharp claws.

Trying to not look at Tiffy, Kukai slid into the driver's seat. The car already smelled unmistakably of wet dog. Holding his breath, he said in a nasally voice," put your seatbelts on; we still have to pick up Yaya." He could help but sign upon the mention of his girlfriend's name, and regretting this immediately as soon as the smell of dog wafted up his nose.

As soon as Amu had buckled up, he started the car, the engines letting out a puff of exhaust, the tires screeching noisily against the blacktop of the driveway, and the wind rushing through their hair.


	8. Chapter 7 Beach 1

**Chapter 7~**

After they had picked up a merry Yaya, Kukai fell silent, As soon as the rolling waves and the scantily-clad beach goers came into view, he let out a sign of relief and parked the car smoothly in the space between the two others cars, leaving an equal amount of space on each side of the vehicle, he peered out the window, admiring his handiwork.

the very second he turned off the engine, Yaya flung the door open, slipped out of the car and slammed the door back shut. She smiled and waved madly from outside the car, gesturing for them to come and join her.

Kukai smirked and mimed turning the engine back on and leaving without Yaya. Amu giggled and smacked him on the arm.

"Be nice," she warned, trying to keep a straight face.

She and Kukai exited the car, and began walking towards the beach. She dragged her feet slightly as Tiffy flounced ahead of her, pulling on the leash. Kukai locked the car door from over his shoulder, and the beeping sound reassured them that their belongings were safe. Tiffy circled and barked with excitement, straining on the leash, pulling its reluctant owner forward.

From the parking lot on the hill, they could see the surf and the brilliant unspoiled sand. Amu knew that in a few hours, the sand would be littered with various beer bottles, crush soda cans and various other assortments of garbage. Already an intense volleyball game was going on, the beach was dotted with people and their brightly colored breath towels.

Amu signed as she saw Kukai sauntering up and down the beach wearing nothing but his beach shorts. He was clearly good looking and judging from the way he shook the water droplets from his hair, he knew it too. She watched for a moment as girls flocked to him, playfully poking him and pulling him towards the water.

Yaya stood still as well, Amu appreciated how Yaya was smiling able to enjoy the aesthetic quality of the beach, but then she squealed loudly,

"They started without us!"

Mock-angrily, she began leaping down the stone steps that led down to the beach two at a time, and wildly running towards the action on the sand, throwing off her flip-flops on the way.

Tiffy began to surge after her but was roughly yanked back by the leash. Amu silently whispered an apology as Tiffy whimpered.

Kukai grinned and strode down the remaining steps, his surfboard under his arm.

"Still not changing?" he raised his eyebrows questioning at Amu, who was stick bundled up, a contrast against the exposed skin on the beach.

"No, I don't think I will go swimming. At least, not until it's warmer," she replied coolly, ignoring the rays that were beating down on her head. She could feel the sweat beads forming on her nose, but she convinced herself it was just because she was feeling angry-not because it was too hot.

"Never mind," he smirked, pointedly wiping off the sweat off his forehead. "All the more time to spend with Nagi."

Just as he expected, Amu blanched, dropped Tiffy's leash and quickly yanked off her cardigan and jeans, stuffing them carelessly in he beach bag and hurling it to the side. Taking advantage of its freedom, Tiffy sped off towards the volleyball game in progress, barking and wagging her tail eagerly.

A tall blonde haired girl waded through the hot sand and approached Amu.

"Hey, lose something?" Asked Utau, as she returned Tiffy's leash to her friend.

"Thanks," Amu said, smiling gratefully at Utau while wrapping Tiffy's leash absent-mindedly around her hand.

"I'm surprised you actually showed up," Utau said, raising her eyebrows.

"So am I, Amu muttered. "My stupid brother made me come."

"He made you come? Are you sure it wasn't because of a...certain attractive young man seeking the pleasure of your company?" Utau grinned suggestively, tilting her head in Nagihiko's direction. " I heard you finally said yes to the poor boy."

The smile fell off Amu's face as she grimaced. Not wanting to be annoyed at her best friend, she replied in a composer manner,"I only did it so he would leave me alone. you know that I have no interest in boys like him whatsoever."

Utau smiled sympathetically, knowing that her friend was struggling to keep cool. Amu always looked calm but Utau knew when she was barely composed.

"Yeah I know what you mean. Most of the guys here are so full of themselves." She pause, and the pressed on delicately," but you know... Nagi really is a nice guy, maybe if you got To know him well..." She trailed off, careful not to go over the edge.

"Ugh," Amu groaned, burying her face in her hand, "you have no idea how sick I'm hearing that! I just know he's not right for me." She thought about touring an art museum with Nagi and simply couldn't imagine his huge frame draped in a letterman jacked in the quiet place of thought and appreciation.

Utau ignored the last comment and said in a loud stilted voice, "Oh, here he comes!" She yanked Tiffy's leash back out of Amu's hands, leaving red marks from where she had wrapped the leash around her hands. "I'll take care of her," she said as she waked away.

As she left, she looked over her shoulders and winked at Amu, Amu glared back


End file.
